Former interim police chief on administrative leave

Spokane’s former interim police Chief Scott Stephens is on indefinite administrative leave. Chief Frank Straub placed him on leave Dec. 20, the day before Straub announced Stephens would head the department’s efforts to earn state accreditation, police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer DeRuwe confirmed Friday night. DeRuwe said he was on leave due to an internal issue, not a criminal one, but declined to go into further detail. “We need to afford him the opportunity to let the matter run its course,” she said. It is unknown how long he will be on leave, she said. As part of a planned departmentwide reorganization, Straub announced Dec. 21 that Stephens would be demoted to captain from assistant chief and would be in charge of seeking state accreditation. Stephens, who has been with the Spokane Police Department since 1984, was a major before Mayor David Condon named him interim chief in January 2012 following the departure of former Chief Anne Kirkpatrick. Straub appointed Stephens assistant chief when he became chief in October.